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] Date Posted:22:03:16 09/10/02 TueAuthor Host/IP: NoHost/202.95.88.71
Hi you. I corresponded with Ms Salve to disclose to me the address of that letter-writer for me to address his mistatements directly to his attention. I thought confronting him on our personal capacities would have been a bitter pill for him to cure his delusions.

Ms. Salve has yet to reply. Attached please find my request to Ms. Salve and my would-have-been reply point by point to the letter writer. Read on. You may wish to circulate this to soothe those feelings in pain, if at all.

Got to chance upon your column and read some Regine bashing from one of your letter writers.

Wish to inform you that I take material exceptions to almost all avowals expressed in the letter from a certain Jay of Ortigas.

In the interest of protecting privacy and providing a more objective venue for a thorough and comprehensive discussion, I deem it more expedient if I address his serious mistatements directly to his attention. His is a classic example of a self-serving PR in the guise of a third-party (read: a party detached to either of the personalities involved) perspective to come off as objective, to appear as more enlightened, to cloak his partial colors.

With utmost appreciation of your perceived objectivity (at least, you provided an adversarial forum in your column), I shall greatly be indebted for your good graces if you take a favorable stance on the foregoing and allow yourself to disclose the person's e-mail address.

I hope that you will be with me in this selfless quest for the truest light. I assure you that this discussion shall aim to thresh out opinions and facts, alike, to contain the parameters of the discussion in the arena where both artists get to exercise their profession and shall consciously avoid to get into their personal realms.

I profess and confess, neither do I personally know both artists nor do I have an intention to do so in the future, both near and far.

My name is Jay and I am writing this e-mail in response to the letter sent by Deenah regarding her admiration for Regine and her not winning the Aliw Awards’ "Entertainer Of The Year Award." However, before I start I would appreciate it if you could withhold my e-mail and complete name for privacy sake. You may refer to me as Jay of Ortigas and I would really appreciate it if you could print my e-mail.

Let me start by saying that I am not against Regine. I have all her albums and love her voice. I have been a Regine follower eversince her Bagong Kampeon years.

I sense very strongly that Deenah’s observations are completely one-sided. It is very evident that she has followed Regine’s accomplishments and feels very strongly for her. However, it is also very obvious that there is a lot that she has missed out such as her behavior, decorum and breeding. Not to mention intelligence.

I say, to wit:
I would be glad to examine your credentials to lend credence and to deserve my comment, if at all, to your presumptuous opinion. Would be glad if you can come up with a comprehensive matrix that enabled to you measure anyone’s intelligence and your professional experience, to boot.

The way she criticized the award-giving body did not only insult the entire award giving body, but also the intelligence of the entire music loving public.

My take, to wit: Could never be more presumptuous. Since when had Aliw been representing the collective intelligence of the humanity of music enthusiasts?

Does Deenah know that Regine is someone who does give regard to her benefactors

I say:
What benefactors are you talking about? Had you been a privy to all the affairs of Ms. Velasquez? What’s wrong with regarding the benefactors, anyway, for the sake of argument?

and completely ignores the presence of her co-performers?

I say: How can you then counter the fondness of her of such top-caliber artists as their co-duet artist, to name a few: Martin Nievera, Gary Valenciano, Jose Mari Chan, Kuh Ledesma, etc.?

In countless occasions, Regine Velasquez has turned off almost all the people she has performed with as she completely ignores harmony (singing together in duets with proper counterpoint), balance (singing together as one), dynamics (singing together with others in the same volume), and control (over embellishment and unnecessary exaggerated improvisation).

I say: What counterpoint are you talking about? What authority in music did you get this understanding from, i.e., balance, same volume, etc? Show me your curriculum vitae re your proficiency in music that can save your face in issuing such avowal. Granting your observation to be true, for the sake of argument, may I ask you: Would you think Ms. Velasquez can survive this long in the business by maintaining the same demeanor with her co-workers countlessly, as you allege? Did these artists personally confide these misgivings with you? Where are these artists now, may I know?

I remember a member of the 98 Degrees entourage asking "Who is that awful singer?" during her quintet with the group in the song "Hardest Thing" in Eat Bulaga. This was said when Regine sang one octave higher than the rest, completely robbing the song of it’s harmonious elements and resulting to "trying to oversing" the group.

I say: Granting, this is true, for the sake of argument. I say, that it is awful to sing one octave higher with your co-singer according to a boy band member is not a universal truth to invoke. Hardly can it even stand to be an insurmountable basis to issue such sweeping generalizations. In your sane state of you mind, how can such youthful boy band member’s comment overturn such consistent and solid favorable comments and praises from more respectable and more established artists mentioned above?

During the Brian McKnight concert she also chose songs wherein she can scream her lungs out and show-off during the entire show.

I say: Those were songs identified with Brian McKnight to be duet songs. The choice was rational. For the sake of argument, what’s wrong with showing off the high notes? It was deemed to be a Filipino pride. You know why? Barely could other American or Western singers maintain the same high notes after several years in the business. Whitney’s voice faltered in several instances and she can not carry the same note she used to in her prime. Mariah, in her yet young tenure in the business, had been showing some decadent performances of late. In case you forget, RV has been singing since the age of six. It is her pride, which others and the rest of her believers take part being Filipino them selves. It is what the audiences look for in her repertoire. Until people queue up in her concerts/shows that consist such line-up, RV is there to fill the audiences up, responsibly. May I remind you of your choice to listen and not to listen. You are not in the demographics. Aren’t you supposed to her admirer since Bagong Kampeon days?

How about her singing during ABS-CBN’s tribute to Rico Yan? Everyone could barely stand due to uncontrollable tears and here was Regine belting out a song. Completely disrespecting the occasion and forgetting who the event was really for.

I say: I am beginning to doubt if you really like her since Bagong Kampeon days. Seems like you have an ax to grind. You are clueless. RV is Rico’s preference in his lifetime. Rico, in his lifetime, knew Regine perfectly well as a singer. No issue of the sort emerged after the performance. Praises and goose bumps were testimonies heard of after which. You do not represent Rico nor any of his family members.

In SOP’s back-to-back to back portion, Regine would always be the last one and destroy beautiful melodic songs, belt endlessly as if she is again in Bagong Kampeon.

I say: I am getting more convinced. You have an ax to grind. If you are her fan in bagong kampeon, isn’t it supposed that you would even more be delighted to relive exactly those old moments that you can only get to recall and reminisce? How could she destroy those beautiful melodious songs when it is the same manner that she treated her kampeon performances, and even better? What are you really up to? Do I now hear some grievances against the staff and production of Bagon Kampeon ’84, eh? Make up your mind.

Is it also proper for her to keep on yakking in the background whenever someone else is talking and hosting?

I say: Where were you born? I think what these people do in variety shows, I have yet to find an exception, are all yakking their way throughout the show. I’m not saying this excuses her. If she’s yakking, aren’t they all? Who’s seriously hosting among them, anyway?

What about her singing out of synch during their "Thank You" song?

I say: Hands down, I witnessed it when it happened. Mind you, it was not serious. For your comment to be credible, put it in a proper context, say, in a full-length, legitimate, serious interpretation where she went out of sync/tune in a certain line, run short of breath, etc.

Why does she always want to draw attention to herself by trying to be cute all the time. Irritating is the result!

I say: It is confirmed. Yours is a classic example of a self-serving PR in the guise of a third-party (read: a party detached to either of the personalities involved) perspective to come off as objective, to appear as more enlightened, to cloak your partial colors. You know what, I could be as much the staunchest RV supporter as I could be her most-hated critic. Who says she is cute all the time, anyway. Is there one, may I know?

How about her continuous hooting and screaming in her own TV show Star For A Night. Her version of the completely calm and romantic Aiza Seguerra song during that episode was horrifying. Singing one octave higher than the rest of the contestant resulted to Regine trying to oversing the poor contestants who are hoping to be noticed.

I say: I am not one who says her belting always entertains. Again, you can not fault her for that as much as you can not fault Aiza for singing it in low key. The difference would only be in whose artist shall your patronage belong. It is no one’s fault. Artist’s freedom, that's how you call it.
The idea of the joint performance with the contestants is to grant this once-in-a-lifetime chance to someone who is unknown to sing with such an established artist. Ergo, RV has simply to be herself to live up to the dream that the rest of the constestants are relishing, it having coming true; that is, in a regular performance level. Of course, if it would end up with Regine romping off the remarkable impression, it is unavoidable. It is expected, anyway. They had their time, though, in their individual interpretations.

Does Regine realize that not every show is Bagong Kampeon and that she does not have to scream her lungs out all the time? When will we hear her sing a nice ballad wherein melody, interpretation and artistry is the main ingredient. It is very obvious that Ms. Velasquez has taken the saying "Making Something Your Own" to literally. (Like the way she directs her concerts and videos!)

I say: You should understand that her belting comes as a highlight in the song. There are tranquil moments in her interpretation which slowly builds up until it reaches the highlight and slowly recedes until the song finally ends either in hmmmmm or in full belting depending on the piece. Re your other comments, the industry believes she is one artist who can dramatically reinvent herself, hence, her relatively longer tenure in the business than the rest of her peers. Other comments do not merit my reply unless you present to me the authority you base them from and your credentials that shall make them credible.

Is it also necessary to mention that she does not even know when to choose the right time to wear the right outfit? Does wearing an open front gown (exposing her entire cleavage and torso) be called proper at all?

I say: Since when had you been a fashion authority? Only then shall this merit my piece. Exposing her torso would mean she is topless. How could she be wearing a gown when she is topless? Proper? Since when did society bestow on you the authority to consider what is proper or not?

How about her "too slang" accent when trying to speak English capped by grammatical errors and enunciation bloopers! Worst, whenever she speaks in Tagalog, she sound like a fisherman’s wife in a squabble!

I say: RV does not claim eloquence nor pretend to have one. She is the first one to admit that it is one of her greatest frustrations to not have been properly schooled and educated. Other people might fault her for sounding pretentious and OA when she resorts to English in her conversations/responses. I think it is one of my significant disagreements with those people. I find it too honest for her when she tries to speak English despite her own admission of not being properly schooled because she treads the risk of being scrutinized for something that is a public knowledge that she was not adequately provided for a training. She musters enough courage to try and bear the sarcasm of the public. She realizes she doesn’t have to succumb to these adversaries if it would mean depriving herself to be real and be herself. I even admire her for such bravery to be true in the midst of indifference and displeasure. I assure you, she does not mean to do it improperly. She is not claiming anything in this arena. It is simply her way of doing it, as much as a harelip person does her own, faulty or pretentious to other people. She knows herself better. This knowledge always secures her.
You know what, I even pity you. You who claim grammatical lapses from RV must keep yourself beyond reproach on this count. Shame on you. You could not even distinguish the difference between basis and bases. Basis is singular. Otherwise, it should be bases. More deeper is double comparative which makes it redundant and erroneous. Deeper would have been enough.
How dare could you demean and condescend on the fisherman’s wife. If she then represents a fisherman’s wife, what are you? I would not probe further why the fisherman came to your mind. Your letter reeks of a dead fish!

It may sound like I’m ranting but I think it’s for Deenah to know that there is more to just having lot of concerts, movies and engagements in being a proper nominee or awardees such as "Entertainer of the Year".

I say: Incorregibly presumptuous you are. You would be the last person to ask about this subject.

Does she or Regine know that there are more things important other than the above for other music lovers? Poetry! Harmony! Elegance! Artistry! Intelligence! Does Deenah even realize that these must have been the basis of Aliw in choosing their winners? As far as the mentioned past winners are concerned, I strongly believe that Regine does not even come close to them in terms of "artistic intelligence" and "intelligence" per se.

I say: You could not get more presumptuous than this. You sure belong to a presumptuous lot. May I awaken you, the decision by the judges, regardless and irrespective (note the emphasis) of sort of contest/recognition, is not an absolute truth to embrace and revere. They can always say their decision is final but no way shall their judgment represent the public who can only rightfully ask themselves who entertained them more and even better among the crop for the year (in case of this awards body particularly cited). Intelligence only matters when the one who invokes it truthfully embodies it. Do you? For the sake of argument, tell me the artistic intelligence quotients, if there is such a thing, of the past winners according to your truths and convictions. Intelligence, per se. Show me the statistics you’ve got. Pweh!!! Dare you not even attempt to align your understanding with those of the judges or you are engaging in self-incrimination.

As a music lover, I admire singers who focus on these things. Singers who know that a beautiful voice is not enough.

I say: After all your boo-boos/lampoons, quo vadis?

How much of Lani Misalucha does this Deenah know? Does she know that Ms. Misalucha can interpret any song in any range, style, vocal color, genre and arrangement? Has she heard Lani sing jazz, kundiman, opera & blues?

I say: Any song, in any range and arrangement? You are hallucinating. I don’t intend to offend Lani. I praise her a lot and criticize, at the same time, when it suits, but in a proper context, as much as I do with RV. (Criticizing for the sake of offending and defending one's prejudices is what earns this blow by blow response from this rejoinder.) Lani and any other artist for this matter shall earn all the best chances and recognitions in the world the artist shall ever deserve. I would leave it to Lani's humility and everybody's objectivity to rectify and irrevocably reverse this most irresponsible pronouncement in this letter.

My only suggestion to Ms. Deenah is to keep her comments to herself and not attack award-giving bodies in that manner. She is not alone in feeling bad about it I know. But there are also a lot of people who have much more deeper things they look for in performers such as myself.

I say: Delirium in its new heights. You badly need the advice yourself the most and soonest. More deeper? (Cringe,cringe,cringe…….Pweeehhhhh!!! )

There are so many singers I admire and I am not writing for the sole purpose of defending Lani Misalucha. I am just concerned for artists who work hard on artistry and interpretation. That for me is the most important qualification in becoming a complete artist. That is why they are called artists! Not carnival acts!

I say: You sure know a lot about carnival acts. This will I need much much more to know from you. Hands down, you must be an authority to defer to on carnival acts.

Lastly, I believe you have not met Ronnie Henares and have no idea how hard he works in molding his talents. May I point out that during the time that Regine was with his management office, Regine was always being guided in making the right choices and coached as to how to position herself alongside other performers. It was during that time that Regine projected a much more elegant image.

I say: You must know each other personally. Hence, this letter?

Concerning winners of the Aliw Awards or other awards for that matter. I believe that whether we agree with them or not. Their decisions should be respected. Need I give you a list of who I think are other artists that were and are being ignored before and at present? I think that whoever wins, Deenah will still feel that Regine deserves it more and I respect that. However, until when will she think that Regine deserves all the awards? There are also a lot of other artists who deserve awards much much more than Regine.

I say: Respect confides to me that you’ve been insensitive to him since the beginning of this letter. He’s wondering if you could ever find him again. Unless you relent on him and give up the weight of both your feet and look for him in both soles of your shoes, you will not regain him. If you find him, he imposes one condition that you stand on another ground that will guarantee you a clearer mind and a true grit that is devoid of presumptions and with him (respect) then on top of your head for you not to step on again.

Date Posted:23:16:09 09/10/02 TueAuthor Host/IP: NoHost/66.198.148.213
>Hi you. I corresponded with Ms Salve to disclose to
>me the address of that letter-writer for me to address
>his mistatements directly to his attention. I thought
>confronting him on our personal capacities would have
>been a bitter pill for him to cure his delusions.
>
>Ms. Salve has yet to reply.

That writer might not respond. They rarely do. But pls
let us know if you get one. The writer is being guessed
as someone who knows both artists and their handler. Uh,
ex-handler for our girl. He may have worked for them
before or is a groupie. He knows some information one
wouldn't consider to be public.

Someone mentioned that the letter sounds
like it is from Primeline. And the writer was being
guided by the owner. Because of the information the
writer was mentioning.

ALSO! I think he was not telling the truth when he said
he wasn't a Regine fan. He has to be a big fan if he has
all her albums! He's probably a member on RVML 1 or two.
That's why I hope you find out who he is. Because that
guy would be one of the moles we been thinking is lurking
on the lists just to be keeping tabs on the artist. Then
passes the info to the mastermind who uses the info he
gained from our lists to help his own artist.

That's why I call her a Regine clone. hehe..
She seems to do alot of the same stuff Regine does.

Date Posted:03:42:20 09/12/02 ThuAuthor Host/IP: NoHost/61.9.18.168
>Hi you. I corresponded with Ms Salve to disclose to
>me the address of that letter-writer for me to address
>his mistatements directly to his attention. I thought
>confronting him on our personal capacities would have
>been a bitter pill for him to cure his delusions.
>
>Ms. Salve has yet to reply.

---------------
Ryan,

I read this in Salve V. Asis' column today.....I don't think she intends to respond to anybody's e-mail at this time.